"The largest recent contributor to Gov. Steve Beshear's political party and re-election campaign is not a super-lobbyist or Democratic activist. He's a Republican — a retired Louisville entrepreneur whom Beshear named to the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees last month." [Courier-Journal]

"Indiana's nearly $3 billion-a-year gaming industry is caught in a spiral of declining revenues and lower attendance because of the sluggish economy and bad weather — and faces the threat of casinos in neighboring states on the horizon. Admissions at Indiana's 11 casinos dropped nearly 7 percent in the first half of 2011, compared with the same period last year." [Courier-Journal]

"Much of the speaking at this weekend’s Fancy Farm picnic trended towards national issues. Candidates praised the military, worried about public debt and criticized what is—or isn’t—getting done in Washington. But coal and federal environmental regulations were also a target in several speeches." [WFPL]